Above is the video from my appearance on last night's Attack of the Show. They had me on the Loop to talk Apple rumors before Apple's WWDC event that starts on Monday.

Luckily for me my segment was only a couple of minutes long since I seemed to have lost the ability to form coherent thoughts. I even called OS X 'the OS X,' like some sort of crazy old man ('Isn't your Apple MAC running the OS X or something? Where's my soup?').

Having seen Attack of the Show before I figured I was going to be one person on a panel during the Loop, which they often do. Imagine my surprise when I was on air, live mind you, and I figured out that it was just little old me and Kevin Pereira chatting about Apple rumors. Kevin did say he was a big fan of TUAW, which is always good to hear.

Thanks to the wonders of technology I didn't have to board a transcontinental jet to appear on AotS, but I did have to walk 5 blocks from my apartment to VideoLink, which has a satellite uplink thingie. I then sat in a green room for a few minutes (there was free candy, but I didn't have any) while I waited for my close up. One of the VideoLink dudes let me know I was ready to go, and I walked into another room with some bright lights, a camera, a table and chair, and a screen on which they would magically show Philadelphia's skyline. I even got to wear one of those in ear mics things, so I that the people on the west coast to talk to me.

A few minutes later and my second television appearance was over. (Note to John Gruber: I was wearing a Daring Fireball T-shirt under my 'ready for TV' shirt.)

When I was all done I walked into the green room to retrieve my umbrella and I was greeted by an older gentleman who was wearing a suit, though his coat was off. He was very busy looking into a mirror and applying makeup to himself. Looking up at me, with a sponge full of makeup in his hand, he said, 'How'd it go? You didn't shoot a booger out your noise or scream fuck, did you?' I acknowledged that I had not, in fact, yelled any profanities and anything that was in my nose at the start of my segment remained solidly in place until the end. He explained that he was a lawyer in Philly and he often appears on CNN to talk about legal stuff. I asked about the makeup and he said, 'I learned long ago if you don't do this you end up looking like a vampire on TV.' Since I hadn't applied any makeup to myself before my appearance I can only imagine I looked like a vampire (though vampires don't have reflections, so they can't be caught on film, right? Take that, Mr. Lawyerman!).

All in all, I had fun and I don't think I came off too badly. Here's to being on TV more often!

This picture was taken just moments before John McCain and Hillary Clinton started to passionately kiss. Pollsters on both sides of the aisle are not sure how this will impact their candidate's campaigns. More news as the story develops.

I'm totally stealing this idea from Steve Garfield (you can check out his favorite photos on his blog). I give you my favorite photos of 2007 (I didn't take all of these, but they were all taken with my cameras so I think they count!).

Oh, and you might not be able to see the above slideshow in your newsreader of choice, so visit the actual entry to see it!

This weekend I found myself in Connecticut visiting my dear old friend Glenn (it is hard to believe that we have been friends for over 16 years now... where does all the time go?) and a good time was had by all.

Glenn, as of late, has been getting into guns. You know, going to the firing range and squeezing off a few rounds. As such, he has a new rifle that he needed to get fixed which is how I found myself in a gun shop for the first time ever. The gun shop was kind of neat, since I do think guns are interesting as artifacts (I would never own one myself, but it was an antique or something) but it wasn't anything too exciting (though I did meet a nice doggie).

The real fun began after the gun shop, as it often does. We went on a little adventure to see the Cabela's that recently opened up shop in CT. If you don't know what Cabela's is, you are not alone. I wouldn't have known what it was either, but I had attended a talk by someone who helped with the website so I was hip to the Cabela's.

It is a sort of outdoorsy apparel/accessories super store... and when I say super store I mean super store. This place is HUGE. Take a look at the pictures I took (some people thought it was odd that I was snapping so many pictures, but who cares!).

One of the coolest things, though, was the restaurant which serves all kinds of exotic meats. I was in the sandwich line, looking at the line up of elk, bison, and ostrich trying to decide what to get (I went with the ostrich) but I was shocked when the 4 people ahead of me all ordered tuna salad! I mean, come on people, live a little.

I think that bald cats have suffered for too long! The taunts of shaggy cats as they walk down the street, the hesitant look from people as they reach to scratch the bald kitty's head only to realize there is no fur to scratch. This must be stopped! Thankfully, Kittywigs is here to help!

For the low, low cost of $50 you can get the follically challenged cat in your life a boost of confidence. And really, how can you put a price on kitty love?

Have I told you lately that the political process in this country is broken (though it is great that I can post that opinion without fear that the government will track me down and haul me off somewhere unpleasant)? I'm watching the Democratic Debate on CNN at the moment and I am not pleased with what I hear.

Dennis Kucinich is part of the debate, though no one really thinks he has a chance in hell to win the nomination. We all know this, but that doesn't excuse his fellow Democratic candidates from patronizing him.

Kucinich was asked if people who voted for open trade with China should be held responsible for the various toy recalls and such. Kucinich answered with the obvious, 'Yes, they should be held responsible for the consequences of their actions. Senator Edwards voted for open trade with China, and he's a trial lawyer, he should know better.' I'm paraphrasing, of course, but that's the thrust of what he said. Edwards was given the chance to respond, and he said, 'Well, I don't know what being trial lawyer has to do with anything but...' Here's where Kucinich interjected with, 'Product liability.'

Now that's a zinger if I've ever heard one. What was Edwards' response? 'Cute, Denny,' he said with that bright smile of his and then went on not answering the question of whether he should be responsible, partly at least, for our troubles from China. It really turned my stomach because that phrase right there sums up the contempt the frontrunners have for anyone that says things we, the American people, know to be the simple truth. The truth ain't pretty, and as we all know it won't get you elected to be the next President.

Now, I don't agree with everything Kucinich wants to do but I damn sure think that his candidacy deserves respect. He's working just as hard, if not harder, than Hillary, Obama, and Edwards.

Awhile ago I had the bright idea of posting a picture of myself everyday, and The Daily Scott was created. Sadly, it wasn't so daily but I think the idea is still sound. I announced that the Daily Scott was moving over here and now it is complete. The dailyscott category now contains all the posts (and comments) from the old Daily Scott as well as the new additions. It makes much more sense for it to be here, I think.

Anywho, why not highlight some of my favorite Daily Scotts? I knew, dear reader, that you would be excited by that! Let's get started:

The question is built upon the thought that since online publishing has made it easy for anyone to get their writing out there it must be bad for people who consider themselves 'writers.' Just because it is easy to get your writing online doesn't make the act of writing any easier, trust me I should know. It seems that every reader of TUAW thinks that blogging is super easy ('That Scott McNulty does it, so how hard can it be?'). Judging from the 500 or so applications I have read from people wanting to blog for TUAW (that's roughly 1500 sample posts) I can tell you that most people can't write worth a damn. Most of the applications are well meaning, but horribly written and if you take that and a nickel you won't be able to buy a pitcher of warm spit (though why you would want a pitcher of warm spit is a matter best left between you and your clergyman).

Do I consider myself a good writer? No, but I do consider myself a good reader, and as such I can tell you when writing is good and when it isn't. The Net has simply made it easier for talented people to find their audience (but it still ain't easy, buster!).

Much like Amazon the iTunes Store suggests things to you that it thinks you might like given your purchasing history. I must say that sometimes I think Amazon knows me better than I know myself, but the iTunes suggestions are sometimes a little wacky.

Take, for instance, the fact that it suggested that I might like Robert Shaw's Sea Shanties (iTunes link), featuring the Men of the Robert Shaw Chorale. Not my usual listening material.

Do you want to know what is even stranger? I took a listen to a few of the tracks, and I bought the damn thing (I'm listening to it now). I am sure my neighbors appreciate hearing sea shanties at 12:30am. I aim to please!

The head of a Chinese company that was behind the recall earlier this month of more than a million Mattel toys committed suicide over the weekend, China’s state-controlled media reported today.

Zhang Shuhong, a Hong Kong businessman and owner of the Lee Der Industrial Company, a company that made toys for Mattel for 15 years, hanged himself in a company warehouse in Foshan, in southern China, the Southern Metropolis Daily said today.

Keith Richards is famous, rich, and now writing his autobiography for several million dollars... however his face looks like a piece of leather that has been left out in a storm for several decades and then dried off in a microwave. Sheesh, I know he has lived his life pretty hard but dang!

The latest meme is making the rounds on the Internet and I haven't been tagged once, or twice, but thrice! By the laws governing silly blog memes, I must participate now, and so here we go:

Rules:
1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.
2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged write their own blog post about their eight things and include these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged and that they should read your blog.

I don't wear a watch, and I haven't for 3 years.

People say I'm funny, but deep down I don't think I am.

I am a little neurotic about being on time. I hate being late, and would much rather be an hour early (I am usually way, way too early for flights).

If I need to think of a celebrity's name on the spur of the moment invariably the first one that pops to mind is 'Mary Tyler Moore.' Strange but true.

I'm shy. Some might not believe that, but I am very shy by nature. I have gotten more outgoing as I have aged, but I'm still just a shy dude.

I have always thought that I will die alone, just like Capt. Kirk (look! I can be depressing and geeky all at once!)

I am starting to enjoy going to the gym (but don't tell anyone because that would ruin my whole,'I hate the gym' routine).

I haven't been blogging here on Blankbaby much as of late, a fact which my mother brought to my attention this afternoon so I thought I would post an update of sorts.

This is what I have been up to as of late:

I registered for BlogPhiladelphia, the blogging unconference that will be taking place here in Philly on July 12th and 13th (I wonder if I have to take those days off of work, or if I can finagle them into letting me just go). Not only am I attending the unconference, but I am running two (that's right, two) sessions:

How To Deal With Negative Comments, or On the Internet no one can hear you cry

Blogging: Is It Better In Groups?

I decided to cancel my Match.com membership, and as soon as I did a few ladies contacted me. I went on a date the other night, and I'll be going on another one at some point this week (with a different lady). We'll see what happens.

I went to SF for WWDC, and I was on TV. The folks from work seemed to be impressed. I wonder what this means for my 'Influence' levels...

Filmed three episodes of Fork You on two differentdays. The above pic was snapped by Thad, whilst Marisa and I whipped up some pesto in his kitchen. Look for this episode on Tuesday.

I gained some weight while I was in San Francisco (damn you, Jack in the Box! I know that I should have went to In and Out Burger, but Jack in the Box was so very close to my hotel), but I've been working out like a mad man (I did 4.9 miles on the elliptical in 30 minutes, that's sooo close to 5 six minute miles in a row) and I managed to knock off 2 more pounds. I am now wondering what I should do to celebrate 100 pounds lost (which is only 7 pounds away). I'm thinking of arranging for a bunch of folks to go out to dinner with me to celebrate. Doesn't that sound like fun?

The Daily Scott has been suffering because of the new camera I got, and the fact that the built in camera on my MacBook is being flakey. I'll write more about the camera, but I really want to get back to posting on the Daily Scott.

I'm watching the Democratic Presidential Debate (odd, I know) on CNN, so I can feel engaged in the political discourse of our country (or at least what passes for it in our day and age). Wolf Blitzer, who has one of the best names in TV news, just asked the Democratic candidates, 'What would you do right now to lower gasoline prices as President?'

Most of the candidates say they would offer up rebates, look at the Big Oil companies, investigate alternative sources and such. That's pretty much the pat answer, and one that doesn't really address the real problem: American's over-dependence on gasoline.

Senator Mike Gravel had the best answer, and the least politically viable one (funny how that is often the case). His answer? I'll paraphrase it:

There's nothing I would do as President to lower the price of gasoline right now.We Aermicans have to grow up, if we want to get off the dependacy of the middle east we have to own up to the problem.

I like to think of myself as shy and retiring, an opinion that isn't always upheld by reality. Sure, I'm fairly shy around people I don't know, but around friends I'm far from shy (and if I'm in front of a crowd... forget about it). Concurrently, I like to think of myself as someone who is happier behind the scenes, not the center of attention. Once again, reality disagrees.

There are many pictures of myself on Flickr (234 at the moment), which I suppose isn't the mark of some shy, reticent individual.

Here's a story that goes with the above picture:

I was amongst those lucky enough to be invited to a certain someone's birthday party, so I got gussied up (you never know who you'll meet at these parties. Yes, ladies, I am single.) and headed on over. Stellargirl was also in attendance with her camera in hand, and for some reason, and with no prodding from yours truly, she decided to start snapping pictures of me. Once it became clear that our height differences were making the ideal shot difficult to get she had me sit in a chair, which I did because I am ever the willing photographic subject (see here, here, here, and here). As the camera clicked away Becky walked in, and rolled her eyes saying, 'Of course, Scott is getting his picture taken.' Really, what party is complete without me getting my picture taken at it?

Anywho, the real reason I am writing this post is to call your attention to the face that I am making in the above picture (taken by stellargirl herself). This face is my default picture face (Lord knows why) and as such deserves a name (ala Zoolander's Blue Steel). Sound off in the comments with some suggestions! You know you want to.

Everything on this blog is Scott's opinion, and his opinion alone. It in no way reflects the opinions of his employers, friends, concerned passers-by, or anyone else for that matter. But you're smart, you knew that already.